Google on Wednesday announced that it will encrypt Gmail at all times, not just during sign-on, and make the process an opt-out feature rather than opt-in.

At this point, Google only uses this encryption process, known as HTTPS, during the sign-in process in order to protect your password. HTTPS keeps e-mail encrypted as it travels between your web browser and servers and is mostly used for things like banks and credit card company Web sites.

"Over the last few months, we've been researching the security/latency tradeoff and decided that turning https on for everyone was the right thing to do," Sam Schillace, Gmail engineering director, wrote in a Wednesday blog post.

Why is this even an issue? While HTTPS makes your Gmail inbox more secure, that extra security can also affect performance, causing a delay in Gmail activities. As a result, those who believe their network is secure and do not want to risk Gmail delays can opt-out of HTTPS under the Gmail Settings menu.

"We are currently rolling out default https for everyone," Schillace wrote. "If you've previously set your own https preference from Gmail Settings, nothing will change for your account."

The easiest way to fix this problem is to opt-out of HTTPS, but for those worried about security, Google has posted a workaround on its Gmail Help page that lets you switch your Offline Gmail so that it syncs with the HTTPS URL rather than HTTP.

About the Author

Chloe Albanesius has been with PCMag.com since April 2007, most recently as Executive Editor for News and Features. Prior to that, she worked for a year covering financial IT on Wall Street for Incisive Media. From 2002 to 2005, Chloe covered technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships a... See Full Bio

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